City of Sacrifice
by smokepelt
Summary: I am Skylar Bane. My brother is the High Warlock of Brooklyn. I have grown up with Jace Lightwood (or whatever his name is now). I have seen the destruction of Valentine and Jonathan Morgenstern firsthand. I've been running away for nearly a decade, but I'm done now. At last, I'm about to set things right. - I own none of the original series!
1. Traitor's Return

_Blood rained down around her, a thick mist of scarlet. Skylar turned her face toward the sky, closing her eyes against the downpour of crimson. _

"_What do you expect me to do?" _

"_You are stronger than you think," said the unearthly voice that had haunted her dreams since the day she was born. "Learn the secrets of your family, and protect future generations from the Darkness."_

Sky woke with a start. She looked around wildly, trying to recall where she was. A flash of glitter reminded her as Magnus Bane entered the room. Her half-brother smirked when he saw her.

"The sister of the High Warlock of Brooklyn," he _tsk_ed. "What a waste."

Out of her flicked fingers a dagger was tossed. It lodged itself in the wooden door. "Leave me alone," she snarled, burying her face in her pillow.

"I have a better idea." He sounded infuriatingly smug. "Hey Alec! Remember how I said there was something I wanted you to see? She flew in from Tulsa last night."

Alexander Lightwood came in more hesitantly. Sky groaned, sensing the Shadowhunter rather than looking up. She knew him as a little kid, black hair and blue eyes like ice. There was a certainty in his step now, although he clearly did not like the situation. Dark brown hair covered her face from his gaze when she drew back from the pillow. Sunlight slanted into the room as Magnus opened the curtains. Platinum sparks flew from her fingers, snapping the curtains shut.

"Don't," she growled. "Just leave me alone."

Recognizing her by her voice, Alec took another cautious step toward her. "Sky? You're a warlock?" His voice was laced with disbelief.

"Partially," she muttered. "I'm mostly a Shadowhunter like you. But you knew that."

"I…" He looked astounded when she dared to look at him. Raking her messy hair from her face, she met those icy eyes that could be supportive or plunge you into suffering. Alec had never known his potential, and she didn't intend to tell him. "I haven't seen you in five or six years," he managed at last.

She snorted sarcastically. "Seven."

The way her brother left the room abruptly, Sky knew something had happened between the warlock and the Shadowhunter. Alec kneeled beside the bed, careful to keep some distance from her. "I didn't know you were a warlock," he breathed, his blue gaze locked with her gold. They were more silver than Jace's, she had been told, but the Angel himself had touched her. So had Lilith. The way Alec looked at her now, with concern and love, was a harsh reminder to what she had walked out on.

"Not many people know," she whispered.

Suddenly he stood. "You should come back to the Institute with me. Izzy would love to see you again."

"I'm sorry about Max," she cut him off before he could say anything. "And I heard what happened with Jace and Sebastian. Is he okay?"

"He's fine." Alec held out a hand to her. "Come on. You need to reconnect with your family." He looked around the spare room of Magnus' apartment. "And it's clear to me that this isn't your home."

Once at the Institute, Sky sensed the presence of two angel-blessed fighters. Her heart pounded. One of them was Jace, because she would know his energy field anywhere. The other could be none other than Clarissa Morgenstern, who she was almost afraid to meet. She knew Sebastian on a personal level.

She hoped his sister was nothing like him.

Izzy gave a start of surprise when she saw Alec and Sky get off the elevator. Her dark eyes drank in her old friend, and in the next instant, Sky let Isabelle hug her. "I thought you were dead," she rasped.

"With what's been going on the last few months, I'm not surprised." Sky drew back. "Let me guess: The Silent Brothers won't let visitors in."

When a red-haired girl ducked out of the infirmary, she turned her brilliantly green eyes on the Lightwoods. "That was interesting." Her smile faltered when she saw Sky. "Who are you?"

"A friend of the Lightwoods," she answered. She pushed past Brother Zachariah into the infirmary; Brother Zachariah didn't stop her.

Jace was propped against a mound of pillows. His tawny eyes widened when he saw who entered. "Sky," he breathed. She sat on the edge of the bed and hugged him tightly, carefully, avoiding the newly-formed scar she knew was across his chest. He rasped her name over and over. "I thought…" When he buried his face against her hair, she felt the heat of Heaven's fire. So the rumors were true.

"I'm back," she murmured. "I don't intend on leaving again. I love you, all of you, and I don't know how I thought I could run away."

He kept his arms locked around her, but he pulled back enough to lock gold on gold. "You still have a ring of silver around your pupil," he observed with a smile. Realization dawned on his face. "I'm not burning you!"

"Are you supposed to be?" she queried innocently.

"By the Angel," he whispered. "You… Sky…"

"Raziel?" She spoke his name like she was mentioning a friend. "Yeah, I know he saved you from death once and actually personally brought you back another time."

Brotherly love shone in his eyes. "That's not what I was getting at. He saved you, too, didn't he?"

"In a way," she replied softly, shifting so that they sat side by side and resting her head on his collarbone. "But in a way, I've changed a lot." She squeezed his hand. "I'll tell you when I see you again, okay? Get some rest." There were few people Jace trusted and/or listened to. She happened to be one of them, even after all these years.

When he settled back with a smirk, she smiled back at him. "Don't forget," he teased.

"Believe me," she replied good-naturedly. "I don't think you'll let me."

But when she walked away from the Institute, alone, she had only one person on her mind.

His black gaze focused on her the instant she stepped into his hideaway. "I wasn't sure I should have trusted you before," he commented by way of greeting. "I'm glad to see you haven't let me down."

"There are a lot of things I can prove to you in the future." _And the others, _she added to herself. Her life had changed in Tulsa, it was true. And it was about to change even more.

In front of Skylar Bane, sister of the High Warlock of Brooklyn, stood Valentine Morgenstern's son. His fathomless eyes seemed to brighten.

"Jonathan." She tilted her head slightly to the side, the Marks on her shoulder blades burning as her magic rose up inside her.

He smiled, a cruel, mirthless show of teeth. "You may call me Sebastian."


	2. Enemies

The following day, Clary looked herself in the mirror. Simon appeared over her shoulder. "You know, Jace doesn't care what you're wearing," he reminded her.

Clary smiled at her best friend. "I remember." She twisted her hair into a hasty ponytail.

Simon was meeting with Isabelle across the street from the Institute, so they were going together. Clary knew she had seen Jace yesterday, but her heart still pounded with the knowledge that he was healing. That it was not her hand that would have killed him.

When they were near the Institute, so close she could pick out the shimmer of glamour in the air although she already knew what lay inside the church, something caught her eye. It was a flash of platinum.

"Simon," she began, "did you–?"

"I saw it." He steered them toward the Sanctuary. "Tell Izzy I'm waiting for her here now. I don't think any of us should be on the streets just yet." His gaze was trained on the path ahead of them.

Clary wasn't sure if it was intuition or something else that caused foreboding to run its chilled fingers down her spine. Sebastian was still out there, she reminded herself.

And he would be coming for her soon, she was sure of it.

Skylar flickered out of sight just before the redhead – Clarissa – and her companion spotted her. She knew by the renewed hastiness to their footfalls that they had glimpsed her retreat, if only barely. She wanted to see Jace again, to tell him and Alec and Isabelle what was really going on with her. She wanted to tell them what had happened in Tulsa, and what had made her leave in the first place.

But she couldn't with the Morgenstern daughter present.

A low chuckle sounded in her ear. "You know, you shouldn't let anyone with such strong seraphic ties to dissuade you."

"She's not just anyone," Skylar muttered, ignoring how close Sebastian was to her.

"I didn't notice." Sebastian snaked his arms around her from behind. "She's my sister, after all."

Sky remained tense. "And you're in love with her." She bit back her grin when he sucked in a sharp breath. "Sebastian, I can't go back with you today. After I tell the others what happened, Magnus wants to talk to me. I don't know why I care what he thinks, but I kind of want to see him, too." He twirled a lock of her hair around his fingers.

"I could give you the world," he reminded her, letting go, "if you only help me bind them."

When he disappeared, she breathed a sigh of relief. Sebastian was not someone you should mess with, and she had been acting around him all this time. If he ever found out, she would be dead.

It took her a moment to realize that the two visitors were still in the Sanctuary. She raced across the street, her heart thundering. The spell she had in mind would last just long enough for her to explain to her friends what had become of her. Clarissa and that Daylighter, Simon… It would be interesting to have them hate her. They were both needed to win the impending war.

Pushing her guilt to the back of her mind, she put a veil over the Sanctuary that would keep it virtually locked until the spell wore off. Then she headed inside.

Maryse Lightwood beckoned to her when she walked out of the elevator. Sky hesitated. "Maryse?"

"It's good to see you again, Skylar," she greeted. "How has your _parabatai _been?"

"M-my _parabatai_?" The rune under the Voyance, her tie to Anastasia, gave a faint throb. "I haven't seen her since I left." She averted her eyes as if in submission. But if she had to, she would cast another spell and leave Maryse until it was convenient for _her. _

"I've noticed." Maryse nodded toward the library. Sky felt a pang of loss when she remembered that Hodge had been killed in the Mortal War. It was followed by a rush of anger when she recalled Sebastian's gloating that he'd prevented Hodge from telling Clary and the others everything they needed to know. "Anastasia is waiting for you in there. However… I have a feeling you would like to catch up with my children."

"Thank you." She rushed toward Isabelle's room as fast as she dared. She could feel Maryse's gaze on her back.

Isabelle slammed her door shut the instant Sky entered her room. "Alec and Jace are up in the garden," she informed.

"Good. Is there any way we can go up there and talk?"

"Well… I'm waiting for Simon, and Clary…" She sounded uncomfortable.

Sky gave her an incredulous glare. "It's important, Isabelle." Usually Sky only called her by her nickname. "I don't think I have much time."

Her dark eyes flickered with surprise. "Okay." The two of them walked side by side up the stairs to the garden. Sky was not sure quite what she was going to say. With Ana in the same building, waiting to see her former best friend, she almost wanted to run. No. She _did _want to run.

Jace pulled her against him the instant he saw her. She had been introduced to him by Valentine, and they were more brother-sister bound than Izzy and Alec were at times. Unfortunately that was where her connection to Sebastian came in, as well; faking it around the complete opposite of Jace was harder than she liked to admit.

"We were afraid you weren't coming," Alec remarked.

She gave them a small grin. "I was afraid you would all be busy."

"Never too busy for you," Jace reassured her. He glared at Isabelle, as if he knew she almost made it seem that way. "Right, Izzy?"

The faintest of smiles played at her lips. "Right," she agreed, a hint of nervousness to her voice.

Sky brushed her shoulder against Jace's unintentionally. "It's a long story," she began, shifting so that she was more comfortable.

"We have time," Jace responded, uncharacteristically non-arrogant.

Footsteps fell on the stairs. Sky looked up, expecting to see Ana, and there she stood. "I would like to hear this, too, you know."

Her _parabatai _looked pretty much the same, if not more scarred than seven years ago. Sky knew she had let Ana down more than once. Going to Tulsa had been the ultimate betrayal. Now her blue-gray eyes were steely as she looked at the girl who had once been her best friend. Sky emitted a sigh.

"Get comfortable, then. Not all of us have all day." Once everybody was looking at her expectantly, Sky let out another long sigh. Jace's grip tightened around her.

Alec's expression was gently expectant. "We won't give you to the Clave if you've done something wrong," he promised.

She closed her eyes, shifting so that most of her weight leaned against a tree trunk and not her "brother." Jace threaded his fingers with hers. "You have no idea how close you are to the truth, my friend…"


	3. The Hybrid's Story

"Before I explain everything, how much do you want to know?"

The group exchanged glances. Jace squeezed her hand. "Whatever you can tell us." It was Ana who spoke.

Sky looked at her best friend in surprise. Anger still radiated off her, but she had the decency to make it seem like she would contain herself. Alec looked ready to jump in if anything happened. Izzy toyed with the electrum-wire bracelet around her wrist, impatience etched on her face.

"You guys should probably know a little more about my past before I completely tell you." Sky forced herself to look at the ground in the center of their circle, not wanting to see their reactions. Being able to sense them would be enough. She steeled herself. "I met Jace through Valentine. He found me after my parents were slaughtered. Valentine thought that, after what happened, I would be able to help him train his sons." Even Jace was shocked at that; she felt him tense beside her. "On the second day, I met Sebastian.

"At first, I wouldn't obey. I wouldn't even speak. Valentine decided to hide me in the Wayland manor. He said that until I complied, he would keep me locked up. I didn't know that I wasn't a full Shadowhunter then; I didn't think that was why he wanted me. But he wanted a warlock, toughened by loss, and a demon agreed and gave him one. Just not one who would willingly take orders.

"He must have gone to be with Sebastian, because I remember him leaving for a few days while I starved. I got so hungry that I broke open the confines of my makeshift prison. And Jace was standing there with a tray of food, unruffled for the fact that the door had nearly taken off his arm. I had to hold myself back from fighting him for the food. My very first instinct was to knock him out, but my first rational thought was that he _had brought me food. _Against his father's wishes." She smiled slightly at him. "We've been friends ever since."

"I remember that day. You had bruises all along your face and arms, so I gave you a stele. You drew the perfect _iratze _for someone so young."

Sky nodded once. "And I hid out in your room until Valentine came back. Even when he threatened to beat you to death, you said you didn't know I was there." Her smile faltered and fell. "Like I said, we were best friends ever since that day. Inseparable, save for the times he took me to see Sebastian. Because Sebastian reminded me of Jace, though, I found myself befriending him as well." She hesitated for a moment.

"When Valentine faked his own death, and Jace and I were sent to this Institute, I was beyond ready to leave. I wouldn't abandon my friend, though, so I hung around. Alec and Izzy became our friends, most notably a new family to Jace, and I knew he didn't need me nearly as much. He had other people to take care of him if I left. My first attempt to run away was ruined by Anastasia arriving, newly orphaned. She and I were fast friends."

Hatred seared through her from their bond. Jace's hand tightened on hers; he was glaring at the furious girl. Sky pushed thoughts of Ana from her mind.

"I ran away because I was no longer able to control myself. I knew what I was for several years, and only Jace knew it, too. I didn't know Valentine was still alive until I ran into Sebastian. He said his father wanted nothing to do with me, but he didn't care. He told me to go to Tulsa with him, where we could hide out from those that didn't want us. I didn't think about what it would do to you guys. I just wanted an escape.

"He kept me safe for a few years, but Valentine eventually called on his son. What he found was the same girl who had nearly ruined things for him in the past. One of the minor demons, not quite a Greater Demon but pretty damn strong, and part of the first of his army, nearly killed me." She took a deep breath. "I… I knew I had to come back. I needed to save you, warn you guys from the war." She shook her head. "But the war had already struck."

Jace was staring at nothing in particular. "What actually happened in Tulsa?" he whispered, barely loud enough for all of them to hear. "You're not the same person as you were when you left."

"I'm aware." She looked away from the others, gazing into the distance.

Alec leaned back onto his hands, scrutinizing the two of them. "Are you okay? You both seem really pale." Jace blinked, returning from the images Sky put in his head. Sky turned back to the group at the sound of Alec's voice.

"I think we're okay." Gold locked on gold as Jace met her eyes. "Right?"

"Yeah."

Izzy seemed dubious. "You don't seem it," she countered, not unkindly.

Sky turned her face into Jace's shoulder. "It's hard to think about," she explained softly. "I did things in Tulsa I would rather not remember." Pain shot through her; she could still feel the weight of Ana's glare on her. She hated feeling weak, yet here it was.

"I can tell them, if you really want."

Her head snapped up. "Get out of here if you're only gonna cause trouble!" she snarled. "I don't care if you feel betrayed or whatever. You have no idea what I went through! Plus, I'm not a Downworlder completely, so you're stuck with me!" Venom lined her voice.

"You shouldn't have even come back to New York!" Ana retorted. "Nobody wants you here, when all you ever bring with you is death!"

Silence fell. Only the sound of the door slamming broke it; Ana had stormed out. Sky felt something inside her breaking.

"Sky…" Alec began, but it was clear he didn't know what to say.

Izzy lowered her chin so that her face slanted toward the floor. "This is why I'm not fond of getting a _parabatai_," she whispered.

Jace glared at her. "Enough, Izzy. You haven't had anything good to say this whole time. Maybe you should follow Ana."

Stubbornly, yet not surprisingly, she stayed put. Jace wrapped his arms around Sky, who closed her eyes. She hadn't wanted to come back in the first place. Eventually she felt Alec hug her, too, and a few seconds later, Isabelle joined them. Sky felt squished between the three of them, but they were her remaining family.

It was nice to have a moment where nothing, no evil or war, could bother you.


	4. Reunited Siblings

From the glare Anastasia had constantly given Sky, Jace wanted to tell the girl to leave and not come back. After recent events, he hardly wanted to deal with any drama, but he would do anything for his sister even after all this time. He had been surprised to see Sky tell her off.

"Can I talk to Jace alone for a minute?"

Everyone, even the protective Alec, agreed. When they had all gone back downstairs, Sky visibly weakened. "What's wrong?" Jace asked.

"You know how sometimes through your bond with Alec… you can feel the other's emotions?" He nodded once, watching her expression darken. "During that whole time, even though I made a point not to look at her… I could _feel _her fury burning through me. She hates me, Jace. And with good reason, as far as I can tell."

"She's your best friend. You probably just scared her." She sighed through her nose. Jace draped one arm around her shoulders again. "Remember when Valentine tried to whip me that one day?"

One corner of her mouth quirked up. "He wanted you to disobey him, question him when he ordered you to do something. I saw the whip fly toward you–"

"But it never hit me," he reminded her. "You ran so fast I thought you were an avenging goddess or something. Suddenly there was a protective field in front of us, taking the brunt of the whip. You turned your back on Valentine and just looked at me. Because Valentine was so mad by your interference, he kept lashing at the field."

"It shattered like glass and cracked me across the spine." Shrugging his arm off, she brought her knees to her chest.

Jace shifted so that he could stretch out on the grass in front of her. Sky met his gaze sorrowfully. "I was afraid for you to the point where I ignored you for a day, other than hiding you up in my room as usual. You got so unnerved by my silence that you asked me if I was mad at you, while I rewrapped your wound. He used demon poison on the tail so an _iratze _wouldn't work. All I said was that I couldn't stand to see you get hurt and that I was mad at myself for putting you in danger." He reached up to brush a stray lock of hair out of her face. "Ana probably blames herself for not trying to find you sooner. She doesn't want to see her best friend injured, or worse."

"You sound like my brother," she laughed softly. Her gaze darkened. "I doubt Magnus would care that much."

"You also haven't had time to get to know each other. In his own way, maybe he does care about you. If it makes you feel better, just say I really am your brother and call Magnus a friend." He grinned at her and got to his feet cautiously. "You know I'll take care of you better than he will."

She stood with him. "You're just as crazy as I remember," she remarked jokingly, shaking her head.

That only made his grin widen. "That's why you love me!"

Her eyes glinted with mischief. He could tell she was forcing away the urge to elbow him in the ribs like she used to. That was a good call, considering his torso felt like it was blazing with fire – both literally and figuratively. He wondered why she wasn't burned when he touched her, yet he either sparked or burned the others.

"Jace…" She pecked his cheek. "Thank you. For everything."

He walked beside her slowly. Even though he wasn't hurt, he felt like he should have been. "You'd risk your life for me, and you have. Now with this huge war looming over us…" He glanced at her sideways. "We have to watch each other's backs, you know?"

"I'm sorry, too," she added, suddenly uncomfortable.

Before he could ask for what, Clary was there. A heavy door closing somewhere downstairs alerted them to Izzy ducking into the Sanctuary to meet Simon. Jace glanced between his best friend and his girlfriend, confused.

"Why would the Sanctuary conveniently be locked?" Clary demanded, her green eyes flashing.

Sky shrank back. "You know, it used to be locked all the time. Why do you think I did anything?"

Jace had never seen Sky back down or Clary jealous. Actually, he had seen her jealous a few times, way back when they were still getting to know each other. But Skylar submitting to anybody but herself? Forget it.

"You show up when the Sanctuary is locked. Someone was out on the street watching us, which was why we hid. And then we couldn't get out. Yesterday nobody even questioned you visiting Jace when I had to fight my way in there. What is going on?"

Protecting Sky was like protecting a bull; she could always turn around and see an ally as an enemy. Jace thought it best to not defend her, and yet his first instinct was to tell Clary off. It was habitual. With some effort, he held his tongue.

Abruptly all her energy returned. Sky became the fearless warrior he'd always known, the one who had been whipped in his stead. "If you think Jace is cheating on you, why don't you ask your big brother to beat him up for you?" she sneered.

That struck a nerve in both of them, although Jace was used to her cruel anger. Clary seemed to deflate. Jace couldn't believe his ears – what else did Sky know about Sebastian that maybe they didn't?

"I have no reason to be afraid of you," Clary said, her voice implying that she still was.

The glint of silver twirled around Sky's finger as she played dangerously with one of her favorite knives. "Don't you?"

"Enough!" Jace exclaimed. He trapped Sky's wrist in his fingers, prying the knife away with his other hand. She stared at him in disbelief as he held the dagger low and positioned himself between the two girls. "Clary, you have no reason to be jealous of Sky and every reason to be afraid of her. She could kill you just by looking at you. Who do you think invented the term 'death glare'?" He turned his attention back to his old friend. "And you should know better by now than to get angry at everything you hear. You could get killed like that." His voice cracked a bit at the end of the sentence.

Sky averted her eyes, but not before he saw the pain in them. "It takes a lot to kill me now," she murmured. Then she straightened. "I still have to meet with Magnus."

Jace shook his head, momentarily ignoring Clary. "Alec won't let you, siblings or not. Wait until nightfall and then go out. He won't mind if you're a little late." Sky opened her mouth to protest, but Clary cut her off.

"What about us, Jace?" she snapped. There was less fight in her voice than when she argued with Sky.

He turned to her patiently. "You know what I said yesterday. It still stands. I don't want you getting hurt."

Maryse met them in the hallway on their way away from the greenhouse. She looked slightly confused. "Someone is here to see you, Skylar. I'm sure he won't mind if Clary and Jace accompany you." Her tone still held authority no matter how bewildered she was.

By the look on Sky's face, she was just as puzzled. The three of them followed Maryse into the library. Clary held back, away from Jace and Sky. He'd given back the dagger.

A boy with brilliant indigo eyes turned to face them. Sky rushed forward; the visitor caught her easily, hugging her tightly. Jace half-smiled. "See, Clary? Nothing to worry about," he teased. Inwardly he wondered what kind of spell was on his old friend, who usually paid no attention to pretty boys, as she so often called them.

"Guys, this is Axel," she introduced.

Axel inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement. "Jace Lightwood and Clarissa Fray. A pleasure." His expression dimmed. "Unfortunately, I come bearing bad news."


	5. An Angel

"What?" The kindness faded from Sky's eyes. She felt her senses sharpen. "What's wrong?"

Axel glanced sideways at her, as if he'd originally wanted to speak with her alone. The indigo irises glittered golden-silver, much like her own, underneath the disguise. The silver was different in his eyes, caused by being in the mortal world so often. His attention turned back to Clarissa and Jace. "Where are Isabelle and Alexander? They should hear this, too."

"Do you want Anastasia as well, milord?" Maryse, who had hung back like a faithful servant, now stepped forward expectantly.

Clary's eyes widened as she turned to Axel, who was slowly nodding. Jace shifted on his feet, his gaze meeting Sky's. She knew he was worried she would break again, but that moment had passed. Her best friend had nothing to fear. …except maybe Axel himself.

"Wait… 'milord'?" echoed Clary, staring at the visitor. "Who are you, anyway?"

Lacing his fingers with Sky's, he gave the redhead a patient look. "All in good time, daughter of Jocelyn." He gave her hand a squeeze, and suddenly her eyes clouded over.

_Looking up at the same scenery as her dream, Skylar half-expected blood to rain down on her. The fiery sky, the too-bright landscape… Her attention was brought to two angels when she heard voices talking._

"_I am honored, Raziel, but…"_

_The great Angel blinked, his wings reflecting unearthly sunlight. "What is so difficult, Axel? You are new to God's forces, but because of such, you will be more likely to fit in with the Shadowhunters. I do not wish to hear the Nephilim have killed themselves because their ancestors refused to help them." Raziel motioned for the kneeling figure to stand. Sky sucked in a sharp breath when she saw Axel in his normal form, wings and ethereal beauty in all. "You will be their help from Heaven."_

"_Thank you, sir." Axel bowed his head in submission to the archangel. _

Back in her own body, Sky had to blink to get the last of the vision away from her eyes. She had met Axel through Raziel, actually, and that was something the two of them failed to mention: If Axel helped the New York Conclave, Sky would probably come home. Too bad she beat him in arriving. She pulled her hand away and stepped back. Axel did not look at her, yet she felt the tension rise between them.

Her muscles all stiffened as Ana walked into the room, followed by a very sullen Izzy. Alec came in last, alert as always. Jace shifted closer to her ever so slightly; it was enough to block the fury radiating from Ana. When Alec stood on her other side, she felt at home once more. This was their team. The angry girl could not ruin that.

"Excellent," Axel said. "Thank you, Maryse." She dipped her head and left at the dismissal in his voice. "Now, onto the problem at hand. Jonathan Morgenstern has been gaining strength interdimensionally. Some of us fear that he will come to New York to get back his two most necessary weapons."

"Some of you?" Izzy repeated. "What does that mean?"

Sky emitted a quiet sigh. "Jace, grip his forearm, please," she half-requested, half-ordered.

Her old friend gave her an _are you insane? _look but complied nonetheless. Where their skin touched, fire appeared, bright and hot. Everyone took a step or two backward, away from the phenomenon. She bit back her smile when the image of Axel-the-human faded, leaving the angel in his place – or a fraction of his true form, really. Certain that everybody had gotten a good look at him, Axel pulled back and returned to his glamoured state. One of the other angels must have done that for him, to be so strong it stayed.

"That _is_ insane," Jace commented excitedly. One corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk.

Axel glanced at the others. "Are you all okay with this?" he queried.

Izzy smiled. "We need all the help we can get," Alec assured, matching his sister's grin.

Only Clary and Ana were silent. Axel continued to stare at them. "When someone asks a question, you answer them." His voice had deepened with that one phrase. Sky sensed Ana's jolt of fear before it vanished just as quickly.

"Whatever," Anastasia growled, turning her body slightly away from the group.

Clary shrugged. "Angels don't have to be helpful."

There was a flash of something dangerous in his eyes. Jace and Sky both sensed his agitation and, by default, so did Alec and Ana. The three of them formed a wall in front of Clary, and Izzy positioned herself in a way that he would have to go through her as well before hitting the redhead. On the other hand, Sky stood directly in front of Axel, glaring up at him.

"Touch her and die," she snarled. She had never once addressed him with anything more than stoicism, let alone been angry and defending the very girl who was just a little while ago pissing her off to no end.

If it was possible for Axel to be intimidated, he showed nothing of it. He relaxed with a sigh. "You're very fond of the Morgenstern daughter."

"When you first saw me you called me 'Fray' and 'daughter of Jocelyn.' I am _nothing _like my father." Her voice was poisonous. "And I never will be."

"But you are so much like your brother." Sky's blood ran cold. She had to fight not to jerk away from him when his gaze was still pinning her, even as he spoke to Clary. "I wish for you all to stay in the Institute until I call on you further. And if you wish to leave, be sure to check in with Maryse." He tilted his head to the side. "Skylar Bane and I have business to attend to."

"You're not talking to her alone!" Ana and Jace exclaimed simultaneously. She wasn't sure who pushed her out of the way, but suddenly the two of them were in front of _her_, too. Ferocity radiated off her two best friends.

Sky gave him a pained smile. "You heard them." She rested one hand on either of their shoulders. "He has a good point, though. I need to talk to him without anyone else around."

Ana did not give her a second glance. Jace looked over his shoulder. "You're sure about this?" he asked. His expression was enough for her to want to say no, yet she would hold to her word.

"I'll be okay." She turned a genuinely wicked grin on him. "I think you'll know if something happens, just because you live for danger." She lowered her voice so only he – and Ana – would hear. "Go be with Clary. She's feeling more than confused and left out, I can assure you. She needs you."

Jace nodded and moved away. He reached for Clary's hand; she let him lead her from the room. Izzy hesitated, but when Sky mouthed "Simon's waiting," she retreated. Alec shook his head, telling Sky to be safe. When she was left with Ana and Axel, Sky gave her friend's shoulder a squeeze. "You need to get more weapons. That dagger hiding in your boot won't cut it when the time comes." Her _parabatai _glowered at Axel in warning, didn't say anything, and left.

Axel grabbed her the instant the door shut behind the group. Sky locked her fingers around his neck, reaching up. His kiss was gentle and taunting, making her want more. They both knew they had things to discuss, though, so she pulled away first.

"So," a cold voice shot through the library before either of them could say anything. "This is where you run off to now."

Fear ricocheted up her spine. Axel held her tightly, but it was too late. Sky already felt as if part of her had been stolen. As though he knew it, too, Sebastian gave her a heartless smile.


End file.
